What happened to Queen's guitarist Brian May? Health updates explored as musician makes a spectacular return at Coachella 2025

Rock band Queen’s guitarist Brian May returned to Coachella in 2025. He accompanied singer Benson Boone on stage, who performed Bohemian Rhapsody. May’s return comes almost seven months after he suffered a stroke in August 2024.

The next month, he shared an update in a self-recorded video on Instagram, where he said:

“Hi, folks. Hope you are all well out there. I am here to bring you first of all some good news, I think. The good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days and I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke.”

The guitarist went on:

“And all of a sudden, out of the blue, I didn’t have any control of this arm. So, it’s a little scary, I have to say. I had the most fantastic care and attention from Frimley hospital where I went. Blue lights flashing a lot, very exciting. I might post you a video if you like. I didn’t want to say anything at the time because I didn’t want anything surrounding.”

Brian May shared that he was doing fine and didn’t want people to send messages of sympathy, as it would overwhelm his inbox. He explained that he followed medical advice, which meant resting and avoiding stress.

He said he wasn’t allowed to go out, drive, fly, or do anything that would raise his heart rate too much, including dealing with loud noises like planes overhead. Despite all the restrictions, he assured everyone that he was okay.

Brian May’s wife, Anita Dobson, reflected on the guitarist's health

Anita Dobson gave an update on Brian May’s health during an appearance on Good Morning Britain recently. When host Charlotte Hawkins asked how he was doing since he hadn’t been well, Dobson shared that he was doing much better.

She said he had returned to his usual self and was feeling well again. According to The Sun in January 2025, she said:

“The start of the year has been up and down. We both had the flu but we took the kids to Lapland. 15 of them. Brian is stable now. Brian has never been happier since we moved.”

She went on:

“For me it's been a curveball as I'm a London girl born and bred so going to the countryside to a house that needs a lot of work was a bit of a shock.”

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While conversing with Loose Women in 2024, Anita Dobson was asked about his health. She shared that her husband was in stable condition and had made it through a tough experience. Dobson said the health scare came out of nowhere and served as a big reality check for both of them.

It made them realize that while they had been moving through life chasing goals—sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing—they hadn’t truly stopped to think about the need to slow down with age. The situation made them, especially Brian May, reflect on the fact that they couldn't do everything they used to and would need to start adjusting and making compromises.

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